405 Mi16 Tires, Wheel bearings, general
MTAYLOR.US.ORACLE.COM (MTAYLOR@us.oracle.com)
15 Jul 97 13:57:45 -0700
Hello
On the question of the 405 Mi16 making growling noises up front:
My car has gone through the right front hub bearing 3 times now, so it's on
its 4th bearing since built in 1989. My characteristic wa similar to the one
in today's mail; turning the wheel to one side would change the tone of the
noise. The bearing is around USD $90. The labor can be in the area of
$100-$200+, depending on what you do with it (how much of the work do you plan
on doing?)
My tires were used up and I renewed with what I ran the past set, which was
Goodyear Eagle GA 195HR60-14, at USD $80 each. These tires stick really well,
require little to no weight to balance, give a decent ride, make a little bit
of noise (very small) and truly complement the handling of the car. I am sure
that other tires are as good or better, but these are very common tires in the
US and are easy to find.
I just replaced the CV Boots (gaiters) on my left axle, after a slice
magically appeared after a service call for the headlight lens recall. What a
fun job! If you are doing a boot (gaiter) replacement, do both of them on each
axle, as the outer one needs removal to access the inner one. If you replace
the outer and not the inner, when the inner one fails, you need to remove the
outer to get to the inner, so bite the bullet and do them both together.
So far, nothing but good news on my April rebuild of my engine. It no longer
uses oil and runs as smooth as silk.
As for the 405 8 valve engine RPM/power range; the lower half of the engine is
virtually the same as the Mi16, which I am happy to report, freely revs to the
red line on a daily basis. Most shifts occur at 5000-6000 RPM, and the engine
did not show much problem as a result when I overhauled it. There was a slight
bearing knock before the rebuild, but new bearings quieted that right down.
The crankshaft did not need to be ground upon overhaul.
Mike Taylor, Nashua, NH, USA